6 minute read
Asian Food
Asian cuisine connects
Asian food is widely regarded as the fastest growing cuisine in the United States, with sales soaring over 135% in the past decade. Andrew Coe, author of the cookbook “Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States,” attributes this surge in popularity to increased globalization. This globalization has brought popular, Americanized fast food chains such as BIBIBOP Asian Grill and Panda Express to Fishers. However, students seem to find family-owned local businesses more enjoyable when it comes to grabbing a bite to eat. Senior Joshua Villasol says that many of the Asian restaurants that he has been to in the area have high-quality food. “Some of my favorite local restaurants would have to be Hiro Hibachi and Sushi Express and Kotoyama Ramen,” Villasol said. “They have really good ramen, and it’s representational of a part of Japanese culture because ramen and these types of noodles are a common dish.” Villasol says that Hiro Hibachi and Sushi is one of his favorite places to go for sushi, which is a food growing in popularity in the United States. Although sushi is widely recognized as a Japanese food, the dish’s roots can be traced back to a Chinese dish called narezushi that consisted of fermented rice and salted fish. Today, sushi has become popular in America due to several factors, including, but not limited to, its takeaway convenience, variety of options, unique flavors, diversity from traditionally Western food and numerous health benefits, according to the Michelin Guide. “There’s something about raw fish that I find really delicious,” Villasol said. “I don’t know what it is, but all of the soy sauce, spices and sauces that go into Asian food are just so good.” According to Villasol, some people may be weirded out by the idea of eating raw fish. He says that it is important to try and set aside any preconceived notions or expectations whenever it comes to trying new foods. Asian Culture Club sponsor and Spanish teacher Brooke Chan says that she is willing to try pretty much anything whenever it comes to new foods. “When my husband’s sister got married, she had a ceremony in Hong Kong, and so we went to this restaurant and all of the dishes were made out of snake, and I tried everything,” Chan said. “Obviously I didn’t love every dish that I tried but there were some really yummy and unique dishes.” Chan finds food to be a way for her family to connect with their culture. Her husband is from Hong Kong, so Chan cooks authentic Chinese dishes at home for her children whenever possible in order to help them feel connected to their family. “My kiddos and husband love when I make char siu,” Chan said. “Even my in-laws have asked me for the recipe.” As a language teacher, Chan knows that when people immigrate into a new country, language is often the first thing that they lose while assimilating. However, food remains with people through several generations, and families will often pass down recipes and signature dishes. “Even though my kids don’t speak Chinese, though I wish they would, the food that is a part of their heritage still is a part of their lives,” Chan said. Chan maintains that this remains true throughout different cultures. She has Latino friends whose families have been here for several generations, and although they have lost their Spanish language, it is the
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1. Senior Meghan Chen places a dumpling on the tray while graduate Makenna Territo watches. 2. Dumplings sit lined up on a tray. Photos courtesy of Josh Villasol.
Food serves as gateway to cultural understanding, appreciation
Emma Tomlinson tomliemm000@hsestudents.org
A tray of roasted char siu sits on the counter after being pulled out of the oven. Photo courtesy of Brooke Chan.
Char siu is a type of Cantonese roast meat and is also referred to as Chinese barbecue pork.
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food that travels through the generations and connects them to their culture. “I often cook with my dad at home,” Villasol said. “He’s Spanish, so we make a lot of traditional Spanish dishes, and it definitely helps me feel connected to my culture and family.” Food also plays a role in many people’s social lives, whether it is reconnecting with one’s own culture or introducing oneself to a new one. “Pre-COVID, one of my friends used to host a dumpling party where everyone would essentially make their own dumplings and then we would cook all of them,” Villasol said. “Some of them turned out terrible, some of them turned out great, but it was actually kind of fun and it introduced me to a lot of new Asian cuisine.” Junior Anh Nguyen enjoys cooking with her friends on weekends. Nguyen is Vietnamese so she often cooks Vietnamese food, as well as Korean food. “Some of our favorite dishes that we’ve made would be pho noodles, crab rangoons and dim sum,” Nguyen said. An alternative to cooking traditional dishes at home would be going out to eat at the many Asian restaurants in the Indianapolis area, but Chan says that it can sometimes be hard to find good, authentic places to eat. She recommends traveling over to the west side of Indianapolis. “I think that they’re really trying to build it up as an international zone where there’s lots of different restaurants of different ethnicities, but I know that they have some really good Asian restaurants over there,” Chan said. As with other cultural cuisines, Asian food has experienced Americanization through the creation of fast food chains such as Panda Express, Pei Wei and P.F. Chang’s. “I think P.F. Chang’s has done a pretty good job with having somewhat few authentic foods even though it’s a chain,” Nguyen said. Family-owned restaurants, also known as “mom and pop shops”, account for nearly 90% of restaurants, according to Reuters. Nguyen enjoys local restaurants such as Wild Ginger, Sushi House and Kizuki Ramen. “Food is really important to me and my family because I guess it represents who we are,” Nguyen said. “It is important to not just the family but also friends because we are able to connect and relate to one another.” 3 1. A bolo bao, or pineapple bun, is a sweet bun that is popular in Hong Kong. 2. Chinese hot dog buns are a popular treat at Chinese bakeries and consist of a hot dog wrapped in sweet milk bread. 3. A coconut cream bun is filled with sweet whipped cream and topped with coconut flakes. 4. Daan Tat is a Hong Kong-style egg tart with a sweet egg custard filling and encased in a crisp puff pastry. Photos courtesy of Brooke Chan.
A bowl of grilled chicken ramen contains ramen staples such as egg, bamboo shoots, green onion and pickled cabbage. Photo by Emma Tomlinson.
